POLITICS
Anambra Election: Soludo, Suspect Trade Accusations over Alleged Rigging
From Godwin Okeh, Abakaliki
Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo and a suspected car thief, one Anthony Onuoha yesterday traded accusation on rigging the Anambra state governorship election held last year November.
The suspect, Onuoha, who was arrested by the Ebonyi State Police Command, confessed to collaboration with over 30 election riggers at Akwa North to allegedly rig last year’s Anambra election in favour of Prof.
Soludo.Onuoha, who was paraded alongside other suspects, alleged that they were hired by one Uche General, to rig the governorship election for the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Prof Charles Soludo.
The suspect, Onuoha alleged that they were given a car and N50, 000after the election.
“Last year November, a car was given to me after governor Soludo’s election, because I was involved as one of the 30 persons that was kept in one place to worked for APGA. We were promised to be given a car and N50, 000 after the election.
“What attracted me to work for APGA, was the car and not about the N50, 000. I went to Anambra state on that November, I was picked by one Mr. Uche General, I don’t know his surname. Uche General was the one in charge of this section.
“The role I played there, was that we were kept at Awka north to thumbprint ballot papers on that day of the election. We thumb printed for APGA governorship candidate, Charles Soludo, and we agreed that at the end of the day, we will be given a car and N50, 000, which they did.
“We are nine persons that was given a car out of over thirty persons that was hired for the job. This car was given to me by them and the N50, 000to fuel it,” he alleged.
In a swift reaction, the governor of Anambra state, Prof. Charles Soludo who spoke to DAILY ASSET through the Chief Press secretary, Mr. Christian Aburime, said the suspect, Onuoha, should be made to face the wrath of the law.
Soludo denied of having any deal with the suspect during the last Anambra state election.
“The police should take a full wrath of the law against the suspect. We didn’t know him, he is just telling lies to get off the hook. He is a common criminal and nobody knows him. Moreover, it was BVAS that was used during that last year election in Anambra state. And so, where did they do the thumb printing.
“We didn’t know him. We don’t know who he is. He must be a criminal and that is why he is in police net. APGA won an election that was declared most free and fair election in Nigeria.
“There was no such thumb printing in that Anambra election. It was BVAS that INEC deployed in that election. We don’t know that guy, the governor of Anambra state does not know him. And APGA as a political party does not know him. The guy is on his own and he should face and carry his cross,” he stressed.
By David Torough, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has signed the Appropriation (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill, 2025, extending the implementation period of the 2025 budget from September 30, 2026, to December 31, 2026.
The amendment was passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, before being transmitted to the President for assent.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the extension will give Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) additional time to complete ongoing capital projects.
The statement said the move would ensure that funds already appropriated are fully utilised without disrupting critical government programmes.
“The extension gives Ministries, Departments and Agencies more time to complete ongoing capital projects,” the statement said.
“It ensures that funds already appropriated are fully put to work for Nigerians, without disrupting critical programmes.”
Tinubu also commended the leadership and members of the National Assembly for what the statement described as the prompt consideration of the amendment.
The president said the development demonstrated continued cooperation between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in the interest of the country.
The amendment therefore allows the Federal Government to continue implementing the 2025 budget until December 31, 2026, instead of the earlier September 30 deadline.
President Bola Tinubu has submitted the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the House of Representatives for consideration and passage.
This is contained in a letter dated Aug.
20, 2026, addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen and read by the Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu at plenary on Tuesday in Abuja.In the letter, Tinubu said that the budget was prepared by the Minister of Niger Delta Development in line with the provisions of Section 121 of the 1999 Constitution.
According to him, the proposal was based on the NDDC’s revenue and expenditure forecasts and it aligned with the fiscal and developmental policies of the Federal Government and the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said that the proposal also took into consideration the 2024–2026 Economic Recovery Growth Plan as well as key assumptions of the 2026 Appropriation Act of the Federal Government.
The President said the NDDC had prioritised programmes aimed at improving youth empowerment, energy and power supply, education, industrial and enterprise development, health and security.
He also listed increased agricultural productivity among the commission’s priorities, saying the interventions were intended to lift a significant number of citizens out of poverty.
Tinubu urged the House to give the proposal consideration and ensure its timely passage.
“I look forward to the timely passage of the 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal of the NDDC by the House of Representatives,” he said. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, has charged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to translate the findings of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) into concrete improvements in their operations in order to strengthen accountability and public trust.
He gave the charge while delivering the keynote address at the presentation of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index held at the Auditorium of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.
The SGF said the administration of President Bola Tinubu, remains committed to open, accountable and responsible governance, stressing that public institutions must ensure that their policies, programmes and actions are transparent, visible and understandable to Nigerians.
According to him, the Index has become a vital instrument for assessing accountability, openness and ethical standards across government institutions, while providing MDAs with clear benchmarks to identify areas of strength and gaps requiring improvement.
He urged heads of MDAs to integrate the findings and indicators of the Index into strategic planning, performance management, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training and digital disclosure rather than allow the report to become another document left unused.
“The report should not sit on the shelf and should inform management decisions, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training, digital disclosure, and how you communicate with the public,” he said.
Akume emphasised that transparency should be viewed as an institutional asset rather than an administrative burden, noting that integrity must be embedded in the procedures and culture of public institutions through clear policies, proper record-keeping, effective oversight, ethical leadership and consequences for wrongdoing.
He further tasked MDAs to take advantage of technology by ensuring that their websites and data portals provide accurate, timely and user-friendly information, including current budget, contract and service information, to enable citizens to effectively engage government and track the utilisation of public resources.
The SGF explained that the 2026 TII assesses public institutions in five critical areas comprising fiscal transparency, open procurement and contracting, human resources and inclusion, control of corruption and citizens’ engagement, adding that the initiative complements existing public service reforms, anti-corruption measures and Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership commitments.
He noted that the ultimate objective of transparency and integrity should go beyond institutional rankings to building public institutions that Nigerians can understand, engage with and hold accountable, while safeguarding public resources and improving service delivery.
“The Federal Government remains fully committed to this goal. We will continue building institutions that are transparent, accountable, professional and responsive to the needs of the people,” the SGF said.
Akume commended the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) for sustaining the initiative, while calling for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, professional bodies, development partners and the media in strengthening transparency and bringing corruption to its knees.
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